Detection and generation
The scan follows ACF JSON load paths and requires exactly one readable file for the field group. It verifies the group and field key, changes only the selected field name in the generated artifact, and stores the source hash with the migration.
Copy, deploy, then verify
The plugin snapshots, copies, and verifies post metadata, then enters Waiting for Local JSON cutover. Download the generated group JSON, deploy it to the expected path, load the new active definition, and choose I deployed it — verify. The field stays protected until definition and values pass final verification.
Do not hand-edit the stored source during the operation. A changed hash, missing file, duplicate load-path match, field-key drift, or unexpected name pauses completion.
Guided rollback
A completed Local JSON migration can generate the reverse artifact. Normal rollback snapshots the current new-name values, copies them back under the old name, waits for the reverse JSON definition, and verifies the deployed result so later content edits are preserved.
Why Local JSON can be refused
The plugin refuses missing or multiple matching group files, a field missing from the file, duplicate field-key matches, a changed source file, and ambiguous or drifting database mirrors. Resolve the definition in ACF or source control before resuming.